The main idea here is to look at a simple stat like strokes gained versus the field and see who fared best during the 2018 calendar year. This generally tells us who the real deal is and who just got lucky with a few top-heavy finishes.

Adding to the equation, I include age so we know which golfers may be young and still looking to peak and which golfers are on the back-end of their careers.

There are still two Web.com Tour Finals events remaining so I will provide an update when those conclude and we have 25 more graduates to grade out.

Let's see who might be in line for a big 2018-19 season on the PGA TOUR...

Easily gained the most strokes of anyone on the Web.com Tour this season and he hasn't even reached legal drinking age in the States. The Korean calls Nine Bridges his home course so look out for him early in the season as I'm sure he'll find a way to crack that field (The CJ CUP). Currently would be in the field as the third-ranked Korean in the OWGR. I'd imagine a sponsor's invite wouldn't be tough to find if that changes. The youngster posted 14 top 25s in 24 starts on the Web circuit, including FIVE podium finishes. This really could be a superstar in the making.

Turned pro early out of LSU as he knew his game was ready for the big stage. He proved that with three top 25s in 11 starts on the PGA TOUR and five top 10s in 16 starts on the Web Tour. That included a pair of third-place finishes, a runner-up finish, and a WIN. Made a huge statement at the Honda Classic when he posted a bogey-free 68 during the final round when paired with none other than Tiger Woods. The only potential problem is that he leans a lot on his putter. That isn't a huge problem when you consider he gained 10.5 strokes putting at the Valspar and 5.8 SGP at the Honda. Very similar to Beau Hossler in that regard. Needs to tidy up the tee-to-green play before he can be considered a steady contender.

This masher led the Web.com Tour in driving distance (342 yards). That yielded a win and four other top 10s (just four missed cuts). His game is perfectly suited to dominate on the Wedge dot Com Tour but will he be able to bomb-and-gouge the PGA TOUR setups? Scrambling, in particular, is where I think the PGA TOUR becomes tougher for him. The evidence is not stacking up in his favor as he went just 1-for-6 on the big stage last year. He lost strokes approaching-the-green in all five of his ShotLink starts. His only Web win came in altitude. A world of upside but still needs a lot of polish. I think the best case scenario is a 2018 Keith Mitchell-like season for Champ but a more realistic scenario is probably a Brandon Hagy-like start to his career. Champ is someone I see being overhyped to start the season and I think he'll eventually live up to that hype. Will that happen this season or a few years down the road?

The Colombian will be taking his second shot on the PGA TOUR. He was just 8-for-17 during his 2016-17 rookie campaign but there were signs of greater upside. Most notable was a three-event stretch that started with the 2017 St. Jude Classic. He co-led after R1 and R2 that week before fading over the weekend. Two starts later he was the solo leader after Rounds 1, 2, and 3 at The Greenbrier Classic. Munoz settled for T3 that week but we knew there was potential in there. That was on full display this season in the minor leagues, as he missed just five cuts in 21 starts and posted six top 10s along the way. Munoz is a much better putter, but I see a lot of similarities with Abraham Ancer here (struggles the first time trying on the PGA TOUR but then dominates the Web before returning with more confidence and experience).

Albertson played alongside Ollie at Georgia Tech but it's taken him a few more years to jumpstart his career. His cuts-made ratio jumped from 35 percent to 56 percent and then up to 86 percent this season. For his sake, you hope he's a faster study up on the PGA TOUR. The Yellow Jacket product ranked 3rd on tour in putting average and 3rd in birdies per round. He's not the longest of hitters but that's not really needed during the fall portion of the schedule. He may be one to target out of the gate in DFS during the fall.

If Anders gets linked to Ollie then Hickok gets paired with Jordan Spieth. Hickok and Spieth played together at the University of Texas and they remained roommates for a bit, even after they graduated. Hickok is finally coming into his own with two wins on the Mackenzie Tour in 2017 and then posting five top 10s in 24 starts on the Web.com Tour this season. That includes a win during the second event of the Web.com Tour Finals. Hickok ranks 14th in driving accuracy but outside the top 50 in distance, GIR percentage, putting, and birdie average. It doesn't sound like that profile will translate to consistency on the big stage. However, he's proven to have that winning edge with three victories over the last two years. Look for him to contend in weak-field events this year and on courses where accuracy is at a premium. Unfortunately, for Hickok, those courses are few and far between on the PGA TOUR.

Ortiz looked like a future superstar when he won three times during the 2014 Web.com Tour season and then went 20-for-30 during his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. Hit a wall during his sophomore campaign but he's 37-for-48 on the Web.com Tour over the last two seasons. That includes 19 top 25s. Grew up on poa annua greens and his PGA TOUR performances showcase that. His SG Putting on poa is more than a shot better per round when compared to bermuda while regular bentgrass is in between. I'd imagine that gap is closing as he has played more on various surfaces but I'd look for Ortiz to be comfortable on poa annua which is good news for anyone wanting to back him in the season opener in Napa.

This Oregon Duck brings a world of pedigree as he was one of the best college golfers before turning pro. The Denver native wasn't steady (10-for-22) but he finished 16th on the regular season money list, thanks to a four-pack of top 10s, two of them being podium finishes. Clark ranks 11th in driving distance, 19th in putting, and 22nd in birdies per round. That compares very similarly to fellow Duck, Aaron Wise who ranked 14th, 33rd, and 14th in those three stats in 2017. For Clark's rookie season I'd expect some growing pains as he adjusts to the big stage but I'd expect his good weeks to be really good.

He's now a three-time Web.com Tour graduate (2011, 2015, 2018). The 33-year-old already has 153 career PGA TOUR starts under his belt and he's made the cut in 60 percent of those. A pretty solid ratio. Castro has made it all the way to East Lake on two occasions but he's also missed the Playoffs in 3-of-6 seasons. Looking at his past ShotLink performances, he has 13 starts where he's gained 5+ strokes on approach and five events where he's gained 5+ strokes putting. Castro is the perfect mold for a GPP golfer for DFS gamers. He makes it through the cut as a decent-enough clip but he also has weeks where he goes lights out and finds himself in the mix on Sunday.

The straight-shooting lefty finished 122nd, 77th, and 127th in the FedExCup standings from 2013 to 2015. He's already proven he can hang around on the big stage and get himself in contention from time to time. Langley finished 73rd on the Web money list last season but vaulted up to 3rd this season with five top 10s (three podiums). Given his lack of length, you'll want to be selective in which events you draft him. Historically, he leans heavily on his short game and has done a lot of his damage on bermuda. Should benefit relative to most of these graduates when it comes to knowledge of PGA TOUR courses. He's been around the block a time or two.

As the PGA TOUR takes a breather before the FedExCup Playoffs finale, I wanted to prepare for the 2018-19 season since we don't get much of an offseason in golf.

Starting with last year, I decided to grade the Web.com Tour graduates to see who gamers should be focusing on for the upcoming season.

The main idea here is to look at a simple stat like strokes gained versus the field and see who fared best during the 2018 calendar year. This generally tells us who the real deal is and who just got lucky with a few top-heavy finishes.

Adding to the equation, I include age so we know which golfers may be young and still looking to peak and which golfers are on the back-end of their careers.

There are still two Web.com Tour Finals events remaining so I will provide an update when those conclude and we have 25 more graduates to grade out.

Let's see who might be in line for a big 2018-19 season on the PGA TOUR...

Easily gained the most strokes of anyone on the Web.com Tour this season and he hasn't even reached legal drinking age in the States. The Korean calls Nine Bridges his home course so look out for him early in the season as I'm sure he'll find a way to crack that field (The CJ CUP). Currently would be in the field as the third-ranked Korean in the OWGR. I'd imagine a sponsor's invite wouldn't be tough to find if that changes. The youngster posted 14 top 25s in 24 starts on the Web circuit, including FIVE podium finishes. This really could be a superstar in the making.

Turned pro early out of LSU as he knew his game was ready for the big stage. He proved that with three top 25s in 11 starts on the PGA TOUR and five top 10s in 16 starts on the Web Tour. That included a pair of third-place finishes, a runner-up finish, and a WIN. Made a huge statement at the Honda Classic when he posted a bogey-free 68 during the final round when paired with none other than Tiger Woods. The only potential problem is that he leans a lot on his putter. That isn't a huge problem when you consider he gained 10.5 strokes putting at the Valspar and 5.8 SGP at the Honda. Very similar to Beau Hossler in that regard. Needs to tidy up the tee-to-green play before he can be considered a steady contender.

This masher led the Web.com Tour in driving distance (342 yards). That yielded a win and four other top 10s (just four missed cuts). His game is perfectly suited to dominate on the Wedge dot Com Tour but will he be able to bomb-and-gouge the PGA TOUR setups? Scrambling, in particular, is where I think the PGA TOUR becomes tougher for him. The evidence is not stacking up in his favor as he went just 1-for-6 on the big stage last year. He lost strokes approaching-the-green in all five of his ShotLink starts. His only Web win came in altitude. A world of upside but still needs a lot of polish. I think the best case scenario is a 2018 Keith Mitchell-like season for Champ but a more realistic scenario is probably a Brandon Hagy-like start to his career. Champ is someone I see being overhyped to start the season and I think he'll eventually live up to that hype. Will that happen this season or a few years down the road?

The Colombian will be taking his second shot on the PGA TOUR. He was just 8-for-17 during his 2016-17 rookie campaign but there were signs of greater upside. Most notable was a three-event stretch that started with the 2017 St. Jude Classic. He co-led after R1 and R2 that week before fading over the weekend. Two starts later he was the solo leader after Rounds 1, 2, and 3 at The Greenbrier Classic. Munoz settled for T3 that week but we knew there was potential in there. That was on full display this season in the minor leagues, as he missed just five cuts in 21 starts and posted six top 10s along the way. Munoz is a much better putter, but I see a lot of similarities with Abraham Ancer here (struggles the first time trying on the PGA TOUR but then dominates the Web before returning with more confidence and experience).

Albertson played alongside Ollie at Georgia Tech but it's taken him a few more years to jumpstart his career. His cuts-made ratio jumped from 35 percent to 56 percent and then up to 86 percent this season. For his sake, you hope he's a faster study up on the PGA TOUR. The Yellow Jacket product ranked 3rd on tour in putting average and 3rd in birdies per round. He's not the longest of hitters but that's not really needed during the fall portion of the schedule. He may be one to target out of the gate in DFS during the fall.

If Anders gets linked to Ollie then Hickok gets paired with Jordan Spieth. Hickok and Spieth played together at the University of Texas and they remained roommates for a bit, even after they graduated. Hickok is finally coming into his own with two wins on the Mackenzie Tour in 2017 and then posting five top 10s in 24 starts on the Web.com Tour this season. That includes a win during the second event of the Web.com Tour Finals. Hickok ranks 14th in driving accuracy but outside the top 50 in distance, GIR percentage, putting, and birdie average. It doesn't sound like that profile will translate to consistency on the big stage. However, he's proven to have that winning edge with three victories over the last two years. Look for him to contend in weak-field events this year and on courses where accuracy is at a premium. Unfortunately, for Hickok, those courses are few and far between on the PGA TOUR.

Ortiz looked like a future superstar when he won three times during the 2014 Web.com Tour season and then went 20-for-30 during his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. Hit a wall during his sophomore campaign but he's 37-for-48 on the Web.com Tour over the last two seasons. That includes 19 top 25s. Grew up on poa annua greens and his PGA TOUR performances showcase that. His SG Putting on poa is more than a shot better per round when compared to bermuda while regular bentgrass is in between. I'd imagine that gap is closing as he has played more on various surfaces but I'd look for Ortiz to be comfortable on poa annua which is good news for anyone wanting to back him in the season opener in Napa.

This Oregon Duck brings a world of pedigree as he was one of the best college golfers before turning pro. The Denver native wasn't steady (10-for-22) but he finished 16th on the regular season money list, thanks to a four-pack of top 10s, two of them being podium finishes. Clark ranks 11th in driving distance, 19th in putting, and 22nd in birdies per round. That compares very similarly to fellow Duck, Aaron Wise who ranked 14th, 33rd, and 14th in those three stats in 2017. For Clark's rookie season I'd expect some growing pains as he adjusts to the big stage but I'd expect his good weeks to be really good.

He's now a three-time Web.com Tour graduate (2011, 2015, 2018). The 33-year-old already has 153 career PGA TOUR starts under his belt and he's made the cut in 60 percent of those. A pretty solid ratio. Castro has made it all the way to East Lake on two occasions but he's also missed the Playoffs in 3-of-6 seasons. Looking at his past ShotLink performances, he has 13 starts where he's gained 5+ strokes on approach and five events where he's gained 5+ strokes putting. Castro is the perfect mold for a GPP golfer for DFS gamers. He makes it through the cut as a decent-enough clip but he also has weeks where he goes lights out and finds himself in the mix on Sunday.

The straight-shooting lefty finished 122nd, 77th, and 127th in the FedExCup standings from 2013 to 2015. He's already proven he can hang around on the big stage and get himself in contention from time to time. Langley finished 73rd on the Web money list last season but vaulted up to 3rd this season with five top 10s (three podiums). Given his lack of length, you'll want to be selective in which events you draft him. Historically, he leans heavily on his short game and has done a lot of his damage on bermuda. Should benefit relative to most of these graduates when it comes to knowledge of PGA TOUR courses. He's been around the block a time or two.

Really fired out of the gate with a win and two other top 15s to start the season. The Canadian slowed his pace once the tour returned to the States but the talent is still there. Considering his success in The Bahamas and Panama, we might want to circle the OHL Classic, Corales, and Puerto Rico for him. Other than that, his profile was pretty poor (88th in GIR percentage, 80th in birdie average, 86th in all-around ranking). One notable stat is that he did rack up 11 eagles, ranking 28th in eagle rate this season.

Has improved during each season on the Web.com Tour. In 2016 he was 8-for-18 with three top 25s. He posted six top 25s in 2017 and this year he has nine top 25s in 23 starts. That includes three runner-up finishes. I don't see a superstar in the making here but his 2018 Web stats suggest he should be in the running to crack the FedExCup Playoffs next season.

When it comes to going low, Lebioda pops off the page, relative to his overall performance. Looking at the percentage of "go-low rounds" on the Web.com Tour, his closest comparables are Martin Flores, Andrew Putnam, Brice Garnett, Kyle Thompson, Sam Ryder, and Beau Hossler. He's actually slightly ahead of guys like Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, and Keith Mitchell. Of course, the PGA TOUR is a whole different animal but his ability to take it deep does bode well for his fantasy value. Looking at his 84 rounds played this year, he's lapped the field average by 4+ strokes in 12 of them. That might make him a prime candidate for first-round leader bets during the upcoming season.

Have to admit I know nothing about this Duke Blue Devil. He's been a journeyman over the past three seasons, finishing 44th to 61st in the regular season money list. That changed this season as he posted a career high in terms of top 25s (12) and top 10s (5). Long ranks inside the top 30 in par 3, par 4, and par 5 scoring so he doesn't seem to have one particular strength he leans on. Long might just be a late bloomer or maybe we'll look back at 2018 as the outlier. One to watch closely and jump along for the ride if he comes out swinging in the fall.

Has more than 110 PGA TOUR events under his belt but also has 160+ Web.com Tour starts. He's a classic tweener or AAAA player. He's too talented to stay on the Web.com Tour for long but he struggles to keep his status on the main tour. Has just six top 10s in 114 career PGA TOUR starts but we've seen stranger breakouts at later ages (Ryan Armour, perhaps). His 2018 stats suggest he's a top-10 grad but his lack of results in the past is dropping him down the ranks a bit.

Ranks 20th in driving accuracy and 27th in GIR percentage. However, he's outside the top 125 in distance. This type of profile typically doesn't translate all that well to the PGA TOUR but there are always exceptions. Personally, I would limit my exposure to weak-field events or courses where distance is not a major factor.

All you lefties can add another name of southpaws to star. The Cal Bear product has just five career top 10s in 86 Web.com Tour starts but two of those were runner-up finishes this year. Ranks 13th in GIR percentage but just 91st in birdies per round. Might be one to target as a deep DFS flyer during the California swing.

Born and raised in Indiana and then attended Indiana University. He's a Hoosier through and through. Wright won the Rust-Oleum Championship this year to help lock down his card but overall he's missed more cuts than made during his 92-start career on the Web. This could be a case of finally breaking out or it might just be a few strong results padding his 2018 stats.

If Chase Wright is the poster boy for Indiana, Teater is the poster boy for all things Kentucky. Teater has always been a steady cut-maker with 102 cuts made in 160 career starts on the PGA TOUR. He is also 51-for-72 on the Web.com Tour, over the last three seasons. The downside is his lack of high finishes (two podiums in 160 PGA starts) and he's approaching 40. Teater has lost strokes putting in 20 of his last 24 ShotLink starts and he ranked 126th in putting average on the Web this season.

If we're talking late bloomers, then Thompson has to be in the conversation. The Kansas Jayhawk is approaching 100 career starts on the Web.com Tour but he entered the year with just three top 10s to his name. Thompson nearly doubled that total with five more this season. It was a great story but I'd be very shocked if he continued to shine against the big boys. Stranger things have happened, though.

He was a Monday Qualifying machine a few years back so we know he can take it low. Secured his TOUR card with a win at the Rex Hospital Open and two other top 10s. Ranks outside the top 75 in driving distance, accuracy, and GIR percentage. Amazingly, he still managed to post 4.1 birdies per round, good for 31st on tour. Given his history of going low on Mondays, he might be one to watch in the first-round leader markets or on DFS Showdown slates.

Nicknamed The Shrimp, he went 43-for-53 on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica circuit before this year and 29-for-38 on the Mackenzie Tour. Taking a step up in 2018, Rodriguez went 11-for-11 but a WIN and third-place finish helped secure his PGA TOUR card. One of the few Web.com Tour golfers to average less than 300 yards off the tee but he also finished outside the top 90 in accuracy. Hmmm. Gamers should only target him on shorter layouts. His T3 came on a 7,000-yard par 72 and his win came on a 7,240-yard par 72. Both pretty short when you look at par-adjusted distance.

The Argentine went 13-for-21 during his 2016-17 PGA TOUR rookie campaign but that was only good for 161st in the FedExCup race. Lack of upside was his problem but he cured that in 2018, at least on the Web.com Tour, as he found six top 25s in 23 starts. That included three top 10s, one of them being a win at the Louisiana Open. Posted a SG:Total of 0.49 per round this season so it's hard to imagine that translating into consistency as he makes the leap back up in field strength.

The Nebraska Cornhusker owns a career record of 50-for-108 on the Web.com circuit. He had never finished better than 57th on the money list before this year. That all changed with some Midwest home-cooking at the Wichita Open, winning the event to secure his PGA TOUR status. I wouldn't expect week-to-week consistency but maybe we want to circle the John Deere Classic or 3M Open as potential Midwest stops for him to pop.

The only graduate to actually lose strokes to the field in 2018. A remarkable feat, especially when you consider he finished 4th on the regular season money list. Despite his consistency struggles, Trainer managed 21 birdies and THREE eagles during his win in Mexico and then racked up 30 birdies and an eagle during his win in Missouri. That might suggest we target him under very easy scoring conditions... if we're trying to get cute.

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